Playing War: The Revenge
by Terenia
Summary: Sequel to The Traitor. The Yeerks have lost Earth and scattered. Terenia must now face one of her biggest challenges yet: rebuild an Empire while facing her past enemies and, even worse, her past friends.
1. Chapter One

**A/N: This story is the sequel to The Traitor. Please read The Traitor first, or else you may be massively confused. This chapter picks up a couple of months after The Traitor ends. This story is AU and takes place after the events in the first few chapters of book number 54. Roughly three months after the war is won/Rachel's death.**

**This is the first chapter, and a bit of a teaser as I don't yet know how often I will be able to update this. Let me know what you think. Love to my readers, as always.**

**-T.  
**

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**Chapter One**

The sun was burning merrily, warming my skin. A gentle breeze rustled my deep indigo fur and made tree branches sway high overhead. The sky was a picturesque blue color, the result of sunlight reflecting off of the planets many oceans. The grass beneath my hooves was green and fresh.

It was a perfect summer's day on Earth. I could have flopped down on my back and watched the fluffy white clouds, or gone to the beach in a bikini and tried to impress the boys. I could have run through the fields for no reason other than to run endlessly. I considered this last option for a moment. Running freely through the fields of Earth was something that I could duly enjoy. The human in me, and the not-so-human in me.

My daydream was broken by the image of someone stepping forward, seemingly out of thin air. Not just any someone, either: this particular someone was about seven feet tall, and looked vaguely like an erect dinosaur. She had deep green skin, much darker than the grass under hoof, and had various blades adorning her body. A walking killing machine. Something from any normal persons worst nightmares.

I sighed in annoyance. (Hologram off.) I thought at the computers. The image around me disappeared. The rolling hills, the distant forests: all were replaced with the cold steel and harsh edges of spacecraft. Only the grass remained underfoot, but this grass was not bright and fresh. It was rather yellow, and when I tasted it with my hooves it was as if I were trying to ingest straw.

(What is it Agrath?) I asked, keeping my voice steady, playing the part of commander. Agrath was my second in command. Yet, in a sense, she was more powerful than me. More powerful meaning that she could decapitate me with one swift, precise swing of her arm blades. Not that I was without weapons. My own tail blade was constantly at the ready, and I kept two Dracon Beams holstered at my side. Still, Agrath knew she was stronger than me. Stronger and, perhaps, faster.

"You're followers are worrying about you, Visser." Agrath said, bowing her head respectfully. I couldn't help but smirk a bit at the title. I had never been formally named 'Visser' of course, except as a way for the Empire to exploit me. Now, in the aftermath of the Yeerk reign I had chosen the rank for myself. I wasn't just a Visser. I was _the _Visser. The only Visser.

(Worried?) I asked, unconcerned. In the many months that we had spent on this forsaken little ship my crew had done little but 'worry' about me. They worried that I was unstable, that I didn't have their interests at heart. That perhaps having someone who was not one of them, strictly speaking, as their leader was perhaps a poor decision after all.

"They say you are spending too much time on the holo-deck." Agrath responded neutrally, carefully hiding her own opinion, "They worry that you will not be able to function as commander."

No hiding it now. Agrath's eyes were definitely shining with amusement. We both knew better. This conversation was for the benefit of the crew. Someone was bound to be listening in – they always were. Both Agrath and I knew that she was the one truly in command of the ship. I was little more than a figure-head.

(They worry about my…functionality?) I responded slowly, (What do they think I am doing here, idling away my time staring into blank space?) _Only partly true_. I added to myself.

"No, ma'am. The crew just needs reassurance that all is going well. They are growing…unsettled. It has been many months, and still we have found very few survivors." That last sentence wasn't faked. Agrath's tone changed, intensified. It was true – in months of searching only a few Yeerk vessels had been discovered. Many of these vessels only had a handful of survivors, the majority of their crew starved from Kandrona and the resultant uprising from freed hosts.

(Very well. I will speak to them.) I said, nodding my assertion. We began to walk, leaving the behind the room which could take me back to blue skies. Now we were in brightly lit hallways, half empty. Those who we passed stopped to let us by respectfully. No one met my eyes. We stopped when we reached the room designating my quarters.

"Terenia, we need to rethink our options." Agrath said, dropping the act as soon as we were inside and the door was safely sealed. "They are losing hope. A defeated crew is useless."

(Yes, well, it isn't exactly easy creating an Empire from nothing.) I responded sarcastically, dropping my own mask. I scuffed a hoof on the floor in annoyance. Here, as in the holo-room, there was grass on the floor. This grass was in much better condition, and I munched on some as Agrath went on.

"You were looking at Earth holos." She commented. It wasn't an accusation, just an observation. Yet I could sense suspicion and worry in her tone. She didn't trust me, not completely.

(Yes.) I responded. There was no use in denying it. Hopefully that fact wouldn't make her think that I was weak, nostalgic for a life I had given up long ago. She chose to change the topic.

"We have found no more than fifty hosts fit for duty. In addition to those we already had, our crew is nearly two-hundred and fifty." She said, her reptilian eyes watching me fiercely. "That isn't even one atom's worth of what it takes to build an Empire. There are a thousand un-hosted Yeerks in our Pool. We need to do something before everything falls apart."

(Yeah?) I rebutted, getting defensive. (Well what do you expect me to do? Make a bunch of hosts appear out of thin air for the remaining Yeerks? Then make more Yeerks appear out of thin air so that we can raise an army?)

"We need to look harder. At the very least we need to raise morale." Agrath said. I sighed heavily. Agrath was a mercenary. An assassin. Her business was in killing people. Not exactly the most admirable job, but she was very good at what she did. As a result of her profession people generally did what she told them to do. However, 'raising morale' was not usually on her priority list. Or mine, for that matter.

(How?) I asked, (Throw a big party? Get out some balloons and a nice big cake and give everyone a public holiday?)

Blank stare. Oh, right. Agrath's host was a Hork-Bajir: a pacifistic killing machine from a planet which consisted mostly of trees. She had never had a human host, and had spent little time on Earth. Balloons and cake were meaningless to her. Sometimes it was hard to remember that everyone didn't spend their youth as humans, on Earth, oblivious to aliens except in bedtime stories.

"I propose an attack." Agrath said, choosing to ignore my brain lapse, "On the Andalites."

(_What?) _I said, incredulously. (You're joking. We'd be slaughtered.)

"No. The war is over. Most of their forces have returned to the home world. Those that are left are spread out amongst the galaxy." Agrath insisted. I could see her getting more and more excited as she talked. She was pacing, her eyes bright. Bloodthirsty. "We can attack something helpless. Big and bulky – like a transport ship. They won't be expecting it; they think we all fled the galaxy. We pick a fight that we can't lose. If our crew sees a bunch of Andalites burn, it will make them feel much better about our situation."

It was quite a speech. And maybe part of it was true. But I had learned, over the years, that under-estimating anyone, even the arrogant Andalites, usually led you down a bad path. Then again, knowing that something was a bad idea had never stopped me before.

I had known that it was a bad idea to climb aboard a Bug Fighter and investigate the strange alien ship. I had known that it was a bad idea to stand up to Visser One, after I had been trapped in Andalite morph and joined the military. It had certainly been a bad idea to agree to accept his deal – a decision which led to the death of my friend Allora and my brother Danny. And the decision which followed that, the decision to trap myself in the body of a Yeerk forever.

That was one decision that had had an interesting result. My best friend, my _shorm_ Jennor, couldn't stand sharing her head with me. Over time we drifted, separated. My need for control, for power, grew. I left her. I left the Andalites and joined the Yeerk side. My big decision: the big whammy. As far as the Andalites were concerned, it was the ultimate betrayal. I was an Andalite, as far as most of them knew, who had chosen to live out her life not only in alignment with the parasitic Yeerk race, but to become one of them.

I was sure that the details had gotten warped over time. No doubt those warriors were telling their sons and daughters stories about the 'evil abomination' who tried to destroy the entire Andalite race. A bit laughable that inside it all was a teenaged human girl.

The thought of the Andalites made my fur rise and my muscles clench. Anger. They were a pompous, arrogant, self-righteous species. They had lied to me, used me, and thrown me to the curb. Even Jennor had dismissed me when she no longer needed me. It would be nice to lash out at them. Even a sure-win battle would feel somewhat…justified. They had beaten me down so many times, why not return the favor?

(I will think about it.) I said to Agrath. She smirked and nodded, knowing full well that I may as well have said yes. (The Andalites are getting comfortable. They could use a little…excitement.)

After all, the Andalites were one reason that I no longer had any blue skies to look forward to.


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N: Never fear, I haven't forgotten about this story! I know it seems that way, since I've been working on other projects. I've begun writing for this again, although chapters may still be a bit spread out, since I'm working on Weight of a Name simulateously. If you haven't looked WoaN up yet, it's a fic based on Allora, a character from The Traitor (which this fic is based off of - if you don't know that much, you'll be uber confused in this fic). Anyways, enjoy the chapter. It's a bit short, but that's alright. I promise more action in Chapter Three. :)**

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Chapter Two

It didn't take long for Agrath to find an angle of attack. An Andalite transport ship was on its way to Mars, where they had set up an outpost station. No doubt it was preparing to load up on doughnuts or some other frivolity. The reports few reports I had of Earth since we lost it were of a very changed planet. It had become an Andalite tourist attraction, its main selling point the sense of taste.

The ship had exited Zero-space further than usual; the result of an unexpected, yet not uncommon shift in the anti-space. It would still be dangerous, entering such a heavily populated solar system, but Agrath had confidence in our forces. And, as I said earlier, despite appearances she was the one in charge.

(We will remain cloaked until absolutely necessary.) I said. I was speaking to my council. It was a weak representation of the dead Council of Thirteen. Aside from Agrath and myself there were six other Controllers. Two human Controllers, one Hork-Bajir, two Taxxons and a Gedd. Not exactly a formidable force.

"The technology we acquired from raiding the Cherandit ship should allow us to approach closer than usual." Agrath put in. The Cherandit were a nomadic race, similar to the Ongachic. Distant cousins, perhaps. We had taken one ship under our control, adding twenty hosts to our numbers. A pathetic victory, but a victory nonetheless. One of our more helpful finds had been Cherandit technology. For the most part it was no more superior than our own Yeerk technology, but their habit of stealing supplies from other species had led to the development of a more advanced cloaking system. As far as I knew it was a technology the Andalites were still ignorant of.

"That is a small advantage." One of the human's said, "One advantage, and how many disadvantages?"

(Are you afraid, Fordat Three-Five-One?) I asked, challenging. The human-controller gave me a grim look.

"With all due respect, Visser." He said, inclining his head submissively, "Yes, I am afraid. This is the last active Yeerk force in the sector. Why attack some meaningless Andalite vessel and risk losing everything?"

"I will tell you why." Agrath said, her harsh Hork-Bajir voice cutting across the human-controller's protests, "The Andalites believe we are defeated. They think we have retreated. We need to show them that we Yeerks are still to be feared."

There was a chortle from the other Hork-Bajir. Agrath shot him a mutinous look, but said nothing. In the Council room I was the leader. (Yes, Erith? You have something to add?)

"No _gerash _anything." He said in a crude mix of Hork-Bajir and galard. "The Andalites do not _ferrish _fear us."

(No, perhaps they do not have any reason to fear us.) I consented, (But we can give them a reason. Besides, what is the alternative? Float around in space until one of their ships happen upon us?)

"We should continue looking for soldiers, or for planets within our reach." Fordat said, "Once we have a large enough force, _then _we can attack."

(The only way we will get a larger force is _by _attacking. We have a thousand unhosted Yeerks. If we found them bodies, we could launch a true attack!) I cried, (We could begin to revive the empire!)

"We are not going to find them bodies by attacking an Andalite transport." Fordat said.

(And where would you suggest we go to find hosts?) I asked. Fordat's eyes lit up, and I could tell he had been hoping I would ask just that question.

"The Taxxon Homeworld." He said significantly, looking at the two Taxxon-Controllers present. "They are more than willing to give themselves to us. We won't have just one thousand – we'll have tens of thousands!"

(You are forgetting that there are already a multitude of Yeerks on the Taxxon world.) I said. (And that they are under quarantine by the Yeerk filth. The entire system is impassable.)

"But there are so many hosts! We could rebuild our entire empire!" Fordat protested passionately. The Taxxon Homeworld could easily be our springboard back into power. But it was impossible. The majority of the Andalite military had been dismissed after the war ended. Those that remained were hovering over the worlds we had once controlled or tried to control: the Taxxon world, the Hork-Bajir world, Leera, Earth and the Yeerk Homeworld itself.

Suddenly I was struck by an idea. It was a crazy, absurd, insane idea. I had no doubt that it came from the human within me – no Andalite or Yeerk would suggest something so ridiculous. Maybe we could both have our way, Fordat and I. I turned one stalk eye casually to Agrath. Her face was impassive, playing the role of second-in-command, waiting for my orders.

(Agrath.) I said privately. Her eyes flickered, but otherwise she did not as much as twitch. Agrath was well trained. (How do you think the Taxxons feel about doughnuts?)


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Unanimously, the Council voted in favor of my plan. A sign of how desperate we were, I was sure. I didn't know if Agrath was pleased or furious with me as we made our way back to my private quarters. I prepared to find out exactly what she thought as soon as we were alone, but for a long while she just stared at me, her expression unreadable. Not that Hork-Bajir expressions are ever anything but horrifying.

(What?) I asked at last, unable to stand the silence.

"You are…an incredibly odd creature." She said at last, her head cocked as if she were trying to figure me out. I rolled my main eyes.

(Thanks for noticing.) I said dryly. (You think I'm insane, don't you?)

"Yes." Agrath nodded, "Instead of a quick hit and run attack you actually want to commandeer an Andalite ship. An Andalite ship without weapons. Then you want to take that ship into Taxxon space and try to regain the planet. You want to take over a planet with a food transport. Yes, yes I thnk you are insane."

(Hey, this whole thing was _your _idea to begin with.) I protested, (besides, think about if we succeed!)

"Think about if we don't." Agrath said bluntly. "You are letting your emotions control you again."

(And you are being too rational again.) I retorted, (Sometimes you need to do things that are risky. With a large risk comes an even larger reward.)

"True…" Agrath admitted. I knew I was appealing to her better interests. Agrath was still an assassin, even though she hadn't had a mercenary job in quite some time. She knew the benefit of a big kill. "And if we fail?"

(If we fail, well then that's ball game.) I said, shrugging my narrow shoulders. Death didn't bother me like it had, once. (But the rest of the Council – they're right. We can't just sit around waiting for hosts to arrive at our doorstep. We need to be proactive.)

"Alright…" Agrath said, nodding reluctantly, "I suppose your idea has…merit. It is not as if we have anything left to lose."

(Yes!) I cried, probably with more enthusiasm than was necessary. Agrath shook her head balefully.

"I still think you are insane." She said, before walking out.

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"Re-entering normal space in one minute, Visser." One of the bridge officers noted.

(Cloak our ship immediately upon re-entry.) I ordered, (Weapons at the ready.)

"Yes ma'am."

Zero-space is a very boring place. It is, essentially, the opposite of reality. Planets, stars, special debris, all of the junk that fills up normal space and allows life to flourish simply does not exist in Z-Space. The result is a whole lot of nothing. Blank whiteness, which is at once flat and depthless stretches out and out and out. I still don't understand it entirely, but I understand its uses. Z-space can be used to tunnel from one section of the galaxy to the next. We had begun near an abandoned solar system near the center of the galaxy. We would emerge on one of the outer arms, near the solar system holding Earth.

It's always a bit of a shock, when you suddenly shift from Z-space to normal shift. The white changes to black, with trillions of stars shining brightly. It is even more shocking when you emerge near a planet. One minute there is nothing there, and the next there is a massive sphere, simply hovering in front of you, so large that it is hard to comprehend.

This was the effect we experienced now, as we re-entered normal space. We were several million miles from our goal, which was Mars. The red planet hovered, half concealing the blue and white sphere behind it. Earth. I quickly turned my gaze away and studied the computer data.

(It appears that the remainder of the trip will take approximately one day.) I said. (Until we arrive at our destination I want everyone on full alert. This sector of space is teeming with Andalite filth.)

"Yes, Visser."

I noticed Agrath. She was at her station, although she was staring out the view screen instead of at the controls. I went over to her and followed her gaze. There was nothing unusual to see, although I had to push away a nervous jolt as I looked out at Earth again.

(Agrath?) I asked privately. (What is it?)

"It is nothing." Agrath said softly, too low for the other crewmen to hear. She turned her gaze and gave me a look I hated. It was the look she wore when she was about to give me an order, and I had to pretend it was my own idea. "I was just wondering what it would do for our efforts if we were able to rescue _him_."

I felt my hearts grind to a halt. There was only one person Agrath could mean. It had been years since we were enemies, months since I had seen him at all, and still the very thought of him made me shiver with hatred and fear. Esplin Nine-Four-Six-Six the Prime. Visser One.

(Agrath.) I said, keeping my thoughts steady. I heard my host, Rekora, laughing in my head. She enjoyed my fear. (We would stand no chance. It's risky enough attacking a transport. You want to try and rescue the most guarded prisoner on the planet? It would never work. We would all die before we even came close.)

"I suppose so." Agrath said, but she still had that look in her eyes. When she spoke her guttural voice had a cutting finality to it, "But once we take back the Taxxon world, when our forces are stronger, then we will retrieve him."

(Sure.) I said, with a sigh of relief. At least I wouldn't have to worry about it yet. There would be plenty of chances to die on my own before I did so trying to save Visser One.

Suddenly a beeping noise rose from one of the computer panels, drawing me away from Agrath.

(What is it?) I asked. One of the bridge technicians looked over at the display.

"Someone _gershat _hailing us." The Hork-Bajir Controller said.

(What someone? Who is it?) I demanded urgently. We had been out of Z-space for five minutes and already things were blowing up in my face.

"It is an Andalite guard." Fordat reported from his station, "It seems our cloaking technology is not quite as advanced as we thought it was. They have detected a ship in the vicinity, although I do not believe they have recognized it as Yeerk."

"Do they have a lock on our position?" Agrath asked, her eyes narrowed at the viewscreen. I could see the Andalite ship in the distance. It was a larger version of an Andalite fighter. Squat, with two stubby wings and an arching shredder which resembled the Andalite tail. This particular ship also had two large engines attached. Z-space engines. It was about a third of the size of a transport ship, maybe two or three times as large as a fighter.

"No," Fordat said. "They only know we are here. The transmission they sent is wide-range, so any ships in the vicinity would have picked it up."

(Play the transmission.) I ordered. A moment later an Andalite voice filled the room.

(Uncloak your ship and report your purpose in this system. Do not attempt to advance further into this system. If necessary, physical force will be taken.)

(Well they certainly haven't gotten any friendlier.) I muttered. To everyone I said, (Do not respond, and keep shields up. Let's see how close we can get before they have a lock on us. We may be able to get by them without their noticing.)

"I have a lock on a transport ship preparing to leave the system." Another officer said.

"This far from the planet?" Agrath asked, "Why?"

"I don't know. Perhaps it is rendezvousing with the guard ship?"

(How far?) I asked.

"Two million miles. It will reach the guard ship in about an hour, if that is where it's heading."

(Alright.) I said, taking in the situation. The perfect opportunity had presented itself, a rare occurrence for me. (We'll attack when the transport reaches the guard ship. The guard will be preoccupied with the other ship, it won't anticipate an attack. A transport won't be equipped with weapons and it will get in the way of the guard.)

"What if it isn't going to the guard?" Fordat asked.

(Then we attack as soon as it looks like it might make for Zero-space.) I said.

"Fordat, what is the ships cargo?" Agrath asked.

"Um…" He checked the monitor, "It looks as if it is carrying large quantities of the Earth dessert known as ice cream."

For a moment I just stared at him. (You mean to tell me that we're going to be attempting to take over a planet inhabited by carnivorous worms in an _ice cream truck_?) I asked.

"Yes, Visser." Fordat said, "It appears so."

I couldn't help it. I started laughing. I laughed so hard that I felt a bit lightheaded. A few of the human controllers joined in, fully realizing the ridiculousness of the situation. The others looked confused. Agrath just looked agitated.

"Visser." She said testily, "I think we should concentrate on the task at hand."

(Yes, yes, of course.) I chucked, (Come on guys, let's get us some ice cream.)

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**A/N: I seem to be beginning a pattern of ending chapters with dessert food. I think I might be going through cravings or something, lol. Anyhow, the next chapter is the epic battle for the ice cream truck! I'll post it soon! Please R/R and I hope you enjoyed the chap!**

**-T.**


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